Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Stuffed Mushroom in the Oven

Lovely things. Things that I could have admired, soaked in their beauty and just let them live in my memory. But no, I want them to be here, to share with you all.

Like say this cute red tubewell at an arboretum I had refused to visit.

Or this Father's Day gift that the girls made. The gift coupon idea was from Pinterest and we added some chocolates.

Or even these simple stuffed mushrooms. Very easy. Very good.

After devouring delicious lobster filled mushrooms at friend B's place, I have been on the lookout for an opportunity to make them. However I never bought the lobster and crab meat she had used as stuffing. But I had the mushrooms, so I went vegetarian. They were very easy to make and really, truly delicious. Now, I did not follow any set recipe and you can go creative with what you put in those mushrooms. This is how I did it.

Buy a box of portabella mushrooms or white button mushrooms

Pull out the stems. Pop.

Now give them a good rinse. Pat them dry. To was or not to wash a mushroom is a quandary I am always in.

In a frying pan heat 2 tsp of Olive oil. To the oil add 2 clove of garlic finely chopped. Saute till you get the beautiful aroma of garlic.
Now add the mushroom caps to the pan and toss them around. Sprinkle some salt on them. Sprinkle some other spices like pepper powder, or cajun spices etc. Take your pick. Make sure that you coat the 'rooms with oil. Just couple of minutes is fine.

Take them out along with the garlic and place them stem side up on a baking dish.

Now comes the being creative part.

The things I put in each of the mushroom capfinely chopped red onionfinely chopped green onionbread crumbs finely chopped herbs (basil/parsley)
Then I put some cheese on each of the caps.

You can do your own thing with the stuffing. Totally. Update 02/02/2016: It has been almost 3 years since this post and I have done these mushrooms in so many different ways. One that I particularly find great for a party is where I make the stuffing as follows.
Saute finely chopped red onion, finely chopped green chili(optional) and the finely chopped mushroom stem until cooked. Take it out in a bowl. While still warm add seasoned panko or bread crumbs to it. Season with salt as needed. Add a a tub of mascarpone cheese. Mix well to get a creamy mixture.Use this to stuff the mushrooms. No need to add extra cheese on top.

Next I drizzle them lightly with some more olive oil.

Pop in the oven at 350F for 15mins or until cheese melts.

That is it you are done. Ready to eat.

Now a little plug in about the book. Here are some more reviews that the book received. Most have been very positive. Sure there was one which said that the anecdotes are unremarkable and the book was under-edited and overwritten, and I have decided to rectify that by leading a Paris Hilton-esque life in my next birth. I will throw in a dash of Kardashian sisters too and some adventure at Atapuerca. Till then this is my life.

"For a first time writer, Sandeepa manages to smartly carry her
personalised, light, irony smacked style of writing competently through
the book. It is possible for such books to become too culturally
referenced and specific and for the humour to become stale after a
while. Sandeepa adeptly avoids that leaving us with quite a pleasant
read."

"In comparison to those spartan tomes, ‘Bong Mom’s Cookbook’
is shahi kulfi. So rich that a single spoonful is too much and a whole
bucket is nowhere near enough. I wanted to feast on Sandeepa’s family
tales until I felt thoroughly sick, groaning on the floor with a stomach
ache and an ice-cream headache. But no matter how hard I tried to
ration the words like rainbow sprinkles, my tub runneth empty only too
quickly."

For the full review visit "The Spice Scribe" Review and Giveaway at blog My Diverse Kitchen"The book started
on that note and just went on getting more enjoyable to read as I turned page
after page. And if you’re thinking of asking, “Why would you read a cookbook?”
here’s the answer. Sandeepa’s book is more than just a cookbook. Sure, there is
a lot of traditional authentic Bengali food that has been cooked by the older
generation of women in her family, and Sandeepa’s recipes make them easy to
cook in a modern kitchen. She also weaves stories of her childhood which are
invariably connected to food to gives us glimpses of a lifestyle where people
had time to cook and savour the simple pleasures of everyday life."

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About Me

Predominantly a Bong, who loves being a Mom and loves to cook among other things for the li'l one and the big ones.She loves to write too and you will find her food spiced up with stories. Mainly a collection of Bengali Recipes with other kinds thrown in, in good measure. A Snapshot of Bengali Cuisine